简介：TheForest”isablackandwhiteexperimentalfilm.Theactionofthefilmtakesplaceintwoperiodsoftime.Anoldmanleadshissonthroughaforest,andissimultaneouslyunderhiscareconfinedtobedwithadeadlyillness. Thefilmattemptstoportraytheboundaryzonebetweenlifeanddeath.Itexaminesthedifficultrelationshipofunderstandingbetweenfatherandson.Theyaretobecombinedwithequalrightsinanimatedandactedscenes.Theformalessenceoftheideaistheseamlessmountingpenetratingthesetwoworldssothatthechangeabilityisvirtuallyunnoticedbytheaudience,butacceptedincidentallyastheuniformlanguageofthetale.Thecontemporaryandforestthemesdonotsignifyaseparationoftheliveandanimatedaction.Theyfulfilthemselvesintheliterarysenseandcreateanimpressionofparallelcoexistingworlds,wherethesamepersonsmayexperiencedifferentfates. Theessenceofbothstoriesistherelationshipbetweentheveryoldmanandthemaninmiddleage.Thisco-dependency,inwhichthequestionsofdomination,cooperation,love,sacrificeanddeathappear.ThehistoryofthemanintheforestisconnectedwiththebiblicalthemeofAbrahamandIsaac.Thestoryoftheillfatherandhissonisharshandtothecontrarynatural.Boththemesruninparallel,butasifinoppositedirections.Certaindramaticpointsseemrelatedandmutuallypenetrating,reachingculminationinthesceneofmurderintheforestandinthesceneoftheopeningeyeofthedyingfather. Theco-dependenceoffourmalefiguresintwomalepersonsistoleadtotouchingthesecretsofdeath.ThetitleForest,inspiredinanunusualdream,isametaphorforthecollectivefatesofallpeople. Themethodoffilmingapproachesthatofadocumentary.Ithappensasanunseenentrancetotheworldofmythandpurecreation.Blackandwhiteimagesandminimaldialoguehavetheeffectthatimageandsynchronisingeffectsconstitutetheprinciplelanguageofthestory.Thisalsoislinkedtothemastersoftheeraofsilentfilms,suchasDreyerandMurnau. TherewerefewfilmsinthecompetitionthatIwantedtolikemorethanthelive-actionfeaturedebutofPiotrDumała,oneofthemostdistinctiveanimationtalentstohaveemergedinPolandinthelastthreedecades,whichissayingsomething(Łagodna,hiscrepuscularadaptationofDostoyevsky’s‘AGentleSpirit’,isarguablysuperiortoUneFemmedouce,RobertBresson’sbetter-known1969version).Certainly,iftheEraNewHorizonsfestivalhadacinematographyprize,AdamSikorawouldhavewonithandsdown.AlmostanyrandomframeofTheForestcouldbeenlargedanddisplayedasafine-artphotographicmasterpiece:theforestexteriorsareimbuedwiththesamemysteriouspotencyasaTarkovskydreamsequence,whilethespartaninteriorsshowthesamemeticulousattentiontocomposition,lightingandsetdecoration,achamberpotislitwiththesamelovingcareasthehumanface.Butunsympatheticperformancesfrombothleads(StanisławBrudnyastheelderly,bed-riddenfather,MariuszBonaszewskiashisson,whosefractiousrelationshipdrivesthefilm)endedupprecludingwhatIassumewastheintendedemotionalinvolvement-althoughdialogueiskepttoanabsoluteminimum,itmighthavebeenmoreeffectivewithnoneatall.ButDumałaremainsamajortalent(ananimatedprologuesuppliesahandyreminderofwherehisreputationspringsfrom),andI’llbefirstinthequeuetoseewhateverhecomesupwithnext.…